Timeless
by Tales of Chaos
Summary: The story of a moving struggle over a collection of powerful objects that can change the flow of Time.


biChapter I: Into thin air/i/b  
  
The Crystals of Time. They brought up images of both good and bad, both foolish rulers foolishly thinking that they could use them, and valiant warriors truly using them for the benefit of all that was good. But today, both images would disappear into thin air forever. In front of the whole of the Land of the Dead and the great men of the living, the Crystals were to be destroyed. The twelve Crystals of Time, links between different planes of time. Roy, Holder of the legendary Blade of Cronus, had been the one to collect all twelve, racing against the vile being known as Ganondorf. Now, Ganondorf had been defeated, and the twelve were safe. With the all- powerful Blade of Cronus, the crystals were to be made unavailable to any future tyrants. It sounded like a good plan, yet Link had his doubts. But now was not the time to think about them. All thoughts of the Crystals dissipated at the sight of Roy.  
  
"How's it going, Roy?" Link asked. Roy had changed dramatically, not just in appearance either. Link's old buddy looked different. His eyes were no longer the eyes of a hotheaded young warrior. They were the eyes of one who had seen much, maybe too much.  
  
"Link! Long time no see, buddy. I've been doing pretty well, mostly just hanging around playing that Smash Bros. game with Marth and Ness. Ness is incredibly cheap, by the way," Roy seemed surprised to see him, too. Maybe he had changed also.  
  
Smash Bros? That name conjured up faint memories of little moving pictures of both his friends and enemies. Ah yes, that game. He had played it once or twice. Link began to laugh.  
  
Roy soon started laughing with him and then asked, "Have you been keeping up your sword skills? Want a duel? I won't use the Blade of Cronus, of course."  
  
A duel? Link had fought Roy frequently before, but now it seemed awkward. This wasn't just some little upstart trying to become a Knight of the Order, this was the Holder of the Blade, the Savior of Time, the Bane of Ganondorf, challenging him to a duel. He had heard that in the last moments of Ganondorf's life, he had possessed Marth and fought Roy. He had felt it, too; being one's enemy for so long made it so it was impossible not to. Ganondorf's soul, but marred by good, and many times stronger. What person could possibly defeat Marth and Ganondorf combined together? And this was the man challenging him to a duel. But did it matter? He was still Roy, after all.  
  
Link shrugged, "Why not? C'mon, let's go!"  
  
Roy turned to a nearby figure, kind of a shady person, with a cloak wrapped around him and asked, "Excuse me sir, may I please borrow your blade for a moment? I would like to have a duel with my friend, and I believe I have forgotten mine in my home."  
  
Link doubted the man knew that it was ithe/i Roy that was speaking to him, for he showed no signs of surprise as he handed over a blade. It was obvious that it once had been glorious, but now was frequently neglected. The blade was rusty and the hilt was falling apart. Roy didn't seem to be worried, though, and accepted it with much courtesy. Link almost felt guilty fighting him.  
  
"Ready? Let's go!"  
  
Link readied his sword.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ bBattle!/b Number 1 Play as: Green Link (HC 3) Opponent: Red Roy (HC9, LV8) Mode: Stamina Stage: Battlefield Items: none Restrictions: none Win: Move on Lose: Try again. b iHalf Star Challenge!/i: Win without using your sword in under 1:30. Succeed: Add a quarter star to your Spirit ranking (It takes strength of spirit to resist the temptation to use your sword.) and a quarter star to your Speed ranking. Fail: If you won anyway, move on. If you lost, try again. b \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  
  
Roy had kept much of his considerable skill, but it was obvious that he had not practiced, and some of the mistakes that Link made were not exploited. Roy seemed to have brief moments when he seemed absolutely impervious, almost a god, not to mention having all the benefits of a psychic. But mistakes were mistakes, and thus, Link managed to win.  
  
They had just finished, both panting and sweating, when the voice of Ness, Guardian of the Dead, boomed out, "I welcome everyone here today. Please take your seats along the outer border. As you know, we are gathered here today to annihilate the Crystals of Time to prevent abuse of them by future generations. And without further ado, let me turn it over to Marth, who will direct the ceremony." Knowing that he was about to be called up, Roy gave the blade back to the man, ever courteous.  
  
Marth, perhaps one of the greatest warriors who ever lived, began to speak in his queer Old English voice, "Roy, thou art thy Holder of thy Blade and bane of Ganondorf. Thy blade is needed for thy annihilation of thy Crystals. Please come with me."  
  
Link had always held Marth in high regard. He had nothing but the utmost respect for the skill and gracefulness of Marth in combat. His fighting style, surprisingly, was a stark contrast to his master Sukin's; they were classic opposites: the big, slow bruiser and the graceful swordsman who relied on perfect technique and timing. In the Order, they were called Bull and Swan, respectively. Link himself was sort of the middle ground, using a rare fighting style that combined brute melee strength and ranged weapons to fight, mixing in powerful sword combos and some acrobatic stunts. He'd also picked up a few pieces of magic in his journeys but had never really liked using them. The painful and drained feeling you got after using one; Link only used magic in desperate situations. Just thinking about it made him wince. If he had a name for his style, it would probably be Cougar. Fast, straightforward, vicious.  
  
Roy was a whole different story. He used to be a Bull, but since he had become the Holder, he had switched over to a more opportunistic style, using fire to stun the opponent while he prepared that wide arced forward slash of his. Hey, while I'm thinking up names, why don't I think up a name for this too, Link mused. Hmmm.what animal is opportunistic, and waits for the right moment to strike? Cobra, but that didn't fit. Roy wasn't anything like a cobra. Dragon had the fire part down pat, but dragons weren't opportunistic at all. They just fried their opponents to a crisp. Dragons and Cobras. Fiery Serpent. Oh, yes, Link could almost hear the raucous laughter of his fellow knights at that name, but Link never was very witty, not that he ever needed to be. Fiery Serpent, it wasn't itoo/i bad, was it? Best he could come up with, in any case.  
  
And Ganondorf, the name that for so long had been associated with evil and destruction, the dark wizard that Link had fought for so long, was finally gone. Link found it difficult to grasp. And yet, it wasn't the great Hylian Knight Link who had finally destroyed him, but rather Roy, Holder of the Blade.  
  
Marth led Roy down into a ring and snapped his fingers. Link was startled as a ring of fire burst out around them. Impressive, he thought. Maybe I should look into this magic thing.  
  
Marth and Roy each took a bag of Crystals before pouring them into one large pile onto the ground.  
  
Roy raised the Blade of Cronus above his head for a moment. It glowed with a luminescent quality. Despite himself, Link felt a pang of envy. The Blade of Cronus.It was the finest thing he had ever seen. The shining silver blade, just slightly curved.the beautiful gold embroidered hilt.he had to have it.  
  
No, no, how could he think something like that? Roy was his ifriend/i, and the Blade belonged to him, not Link. And Roy had made a pledge of peace, never to fight meaninglessly again. The Blade of Cronus belonged to no one and could be used by no one but the Holder, who had taken an oath never to use it in battle, unless under the most extreme circumstances, again. Even if Link did betray one of his best friends, it was to no avail.  
  
A loud cracking noise broke into his thoughts. Roy had sliced the Crystal of Melee into two neat little pieces. Moments later, they both shattered into shards. Link's own fears about the process were now dispelled. One could almost hear the wind sigh with relief.  
  
Next, a Crystal with a large Z in the center came under the shock of Roy's Blade. This one split unevenly into four different pieces before shattering. Link remembered his old school teacher's monotone droning voice. What a drag that had been, listening to some fat old guy who couldn't get a job anywhere else reading off materials made by people ninety times smarter the himself. Such a long time ago that was. But Link had learned something from it. This was the Crystal of Zarbonite, made from the super rare material of Planet Tallon IV.  
  
The next crystal blazed with a strangely dull radiance with an entire spectrum of colors. For some reason, something about it gave Link an uneasy feeling. The Crystal of Yourser.Very little was known about its past. However, looking at it made Link recall some of his own unpleasant memories, especially the feeling of being lost at the various islands he had been washed up onto. But why would he think that?  
  
A sudden image of Roy being hit by a lightning bolt flashed through his mind. He felt Roy's pain, his brain shorting out, his burning body. Link looked around. He saw others with the same expression as him. It made him even more uneasy.  
  
There was no doubt about it. There was something queer about this Crystal.  
  
Roy's Blade came flying down. Link felt the urge to cry out. Before a single eye could blink, the sky turned black. Roy's Blade deflected off the Crystal, not making a single nick. A chorus of surprise rang out. And then Roy was gone, his own cry of surprise still echoing in the chilly air of the Land of the Dead. 


End file.
